RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auburn University in Alabama has commenced a project to automate manual procurement processes while reducing off-contract spending and drive better supplier relationships in support of its wider organizational goals. The University is investing in the Supplier Management, Sourcing, Spend Analytics, Contracts, eProcurement and Invoicing modules of JAGGAER ONE as part of an eight-year contract that will run through to 2027.
“We were looking for a comprehensive procurement solution that would improve efficiency and enable a reorganization of responsibilities,” says Missty Kennedy, Director of Procurement and Business Services at Auburn University. “These include getting better visibility over spend and procurement to facilitate better business decisions and freeing up human resources to focus on more strategic tasks such as holistic supplier management as a result of the automation or minimization of manual tasks.”
Missty Kennedy has worked in procurement at Auburn University for 15 years. She moved into her present role in 2018, and shortly afterwards the CFO tasked her to do a complete review of the procurement function, covering technology, personnel, security and supplier management. “The full gamut,” she says.
The legacy environment at Auburn University was a Banner ERP system with an integrated purchasing system that had been developed in-house. “We had a whole raft of home-grown systems that were intended to automate Banner, but it was all very difficult to use, there was still a lot of manual effort required, including a lot of system maintenance. We also had a lot of trouble pulling reports from the data,” recalls Kennedy.
The review turned up some serious concerns around security and operational efficiency. “We therefore looked for a new solution that would streamline old processes such as requisition, travel, PCARD and bid systems, and would be more customer-friendly. We have found that solution with JAGGAER ONE.”
She says they chose JAGGAER because that way they could get all the functionality they needed (apart from travel expenses) on a single platform from one supplier. “I knew JAGGAER back in the old SciQuest days, but the capabilities have expanded significantly since then.”
Kennedy believes that the JAGGAER solutions will help to identify sourcing opportunities that deliver better value for Auburn University and drive operational efficiencies. “Because it is easier to use than the old system, this will further reduce ‘rogue’ spend,” says Kennedy. Improved supplier onboarding processes will reduce supplier risk. Until now, spend has been fairly decentralized at Auburn, with discretionary spend of up to $5,000. “This made it difficult to get any leverage in negotiations with suppliers,” she adds.
“Accounts payable is even more decentralized, with cumbersome back-and-forth approvals processes. Again, this means money left on the table as we cannot take full advantage of terms of payment. So, we plan to use the JAGGAER Invoicing module. The receiving feature will also ensure that we only pay for goods and services that have actually been delivered,” says Kennedy.
Auburn University hopes that in the future, the solution will not only improve procurement but will also help to identify revenue generating opportunities.
The JAGGAER cloud-based software solution is an important part of a wider change management project. The elimination or reduction of manual effort will enable Kennedy to reorganize her department to focus on more strategic tasks and activities. “We’re especially excited about having invested in the Spend Visibility module and we have hired a strategic sourcing analyst who will be using that particular module a lot to look at opportunities to secure better contracts and to have informed conversations with our stakeholders on what they’re spending. In general, we have a lot of talented individuals working here and by implementing JAGGAER we will be able to unleash more of their potential, providing enhanced value in pursuit of Auburn University’s vision to lead and shape the future of higher education,” concludes Kennedy.
About Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public research and land-grant university in Auburn, Alabama, with a total enrollment of more than 30,000 students and 1,260 faculty members. It is one of the state’s two public flagship universities, classified as an R1: Doctoral Research – Very High Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The University was first established as an educational institution in 1856 and has been a university with a varied academic curriculum and research program since 1960.
About JAGGAER: Procurement Simplified
JAGGAER is the world’s largest independent spend management company, connecting customers to a network of 4 million suppliers in 70 countries, served by offices located in the Americas, APAC, Asia and EMEA. JAGGAER offers end-to-end SaaS-based procurement solutions, including advanced Spend Analytics, Category Management, Supplier Management, Sourcing, Contracts, eProcurement, Invoicing, Supply Chain Management and Inventory Management. These all reside on a single platform, JAGGAER ONE. JAGGAER has pioneered spend solutions for more than two decades and continues to lead the innovation curve by listening to customers and stakeholders in all industry sectors, public services and academia. JAGGAER holds 37 patents – more than any other spend management company.
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